Cherokee Nation photo IDs traveling to Oregon and Washington

08/05/2013

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — The Cherokee Nation is traveling to Eugene, Ore., and the Seattle area in August with the tribe’s mobile registration ID unit to issue at-large citizens new photo ID Cherokee citizenship cards.

Since October 2012, Cherokee Nation’s registration department has issued nearly 20,000 of the upgraded citizenship “blue cards” in Oklahoma and nine other states, as well as Washington, D.C.

With 4,470 Cherokee Nation citizens living in Oregon and 4,877 in Washington, it’s important to meet with and offer some of the same benefits as citizens have in Oklahoma, Principal Chief Bill John Baker said.

“Producing a government-issued, photo ID helps to instill a greater sense of pride in our people, and we’re happy to bring this service to our Cherokees living outside of Oklahoma,” Chief Baker said. “I’ve presented my photo tribal citizenship card at several major airports, and even to the U.S. Secret Service, and experienced no problems whatsoever.”

The tribe’s upgraded photo ID citizenship cards are similar in appearance to a driver’s license. It features a citizen’s Cherokee Nation registration number, official registrar signature, the citizen’s photo and signature, Principal Chief’s signature and a distinctive Cherokee Nation hologram seal for validation. Citizens can opt for their official Bureau of Indian Affairs Certificate Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) on the back of the card.

The photo ID cards are being issued in conjunction with a community meeting of tribal citizens in the Eugene, Ore., and Seattle areas. For more information on the Eugene meeting, contact David Crawford at 971-239-8283 or david.crawford774@gmail.com, or Gifford Tallmadge at 541-357-7610 or gifford@willamettecherokee.org. For more information on the Seattle meeting, contact Phillip Bange at 425-830-9567 or philbange@hotmail.com or the Cherokee Nation registration department at 918-458-6980 or registration@cherokee.org.